Anthony and Sam Freedman have slightly adjusted their immediate plans for Point Barrow this weekend, though this does not diminish their grander aspirations for the talented mare.
The four-year-old is continuing her preparation for a potential start in the $3 million Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on November 7, with a focus on the $240,000 Group 3 Northwood Plume Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
The father-son training duo had originally intended for her to compete in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) on the same day, but a late change of mind led them to keep the recent Group 3 How Now Stakes winner at the 1200m distance and against her own sex.
“She was always going to the Schillaci and then we just threw a nom in for the mares’ race and it’s probably come in a little bit more suitable,” Sam Freedman stated.
“It was obviously good to get her back in the game (last start), because the Moir was a bit of a non-event.
“She’s right back on track. We want to get her to the Sprint on the last day, so if she’s going to be a factor in that she’ll want to be winning on Saturday.”
The daughter of Blue Point improved her Caulfield record to three wins from five starts in the How Now Stakes. This followed an eleventh-place finish first-up in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m), where she was positioned at the rear throughout the race.
Point Barrow faces the second-widest barrier and a weight of 58kg in Saturday’s 14-horse set-weights-and-penalties event. However, Freedman indicated that favorable track conditions, which are forecast, will be crucial for her best performance between now and race day.
The Caulfield track was rated a Soft 6 at the time of acceptances.
“She needs Good ground, she doesn’t handle Soft or Heavy,” Freedman commented.
“She needs a little bit to go right, but she can offset a bit of bias because she’s always going to finish off really strong, and her record at Caulfield’s very good.
“I’m confident she’s flying along and should hold her form now for the rest of the spring.”
Mark Zahra, who guided Point Barrow to victory in her last outing, will again partner the mare in the Northwood Plume Stakes.
Punters can find competitive racing odds on Point Barrow and the rest of the field at leading Australian betting sites.
